It’s a Gas!
PRICE GASSED UP
Originally uploaded by Joann1000.
Those of us who drive cars (and those who ride in them) are well aware of the recent gas price hike. The buzz on the news has been that the prices will continue to rise, and are likely to reach the $3 range by the end of this month… as a matter of fact, they already have in some areas of California already!
The SF Bay Area leads the price hikes in California. Prices in SF are averaging around $2.70 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. There has been a steady increase of ten cents per gallon per week, with prices that averaged around $2.30 a month ago.
So what can us car-bound folk do? Well, for starters, you can keep your eye on SanFranGasPrices.com, where you can track the best prices per gallon in the area (the parent of this site is GasBuddy.com, for those of you in different areas). Current area winner? Berkeley Touchless Car Wash, at $2.42 a gallon.
The best alternatives are, of course, public transportation. The Bay Area is home to some of the finest public trans in the nation, with BART boasting its title as #1 Transit System in the US. Their most recent press release breaks it down for us: taking BART is almost 4 times cheaper than driving! The article continues on and provides a AAA Cost Comparison of 19 cents per mile versus driving costing a commuter 69 cents a mile. Yikes!
Any public transportation, not just BART, will certainly ease your commuting pain, and most certainly your wallet. I know most of you that live in SF usually do not own a car, so this is information is perhaps a bit redundant. Or maybe it just reaffirms your choice in transportation as the best choice in these times.
I just started taking CalTrain from Santa Clara to Foster City, and I must say, it’s quite lovely to be able to read, nap, or play my PSP instead of sitting on 101 North stewing over the gridlock or avoiding agressive SUVs.
Other tips? Walk more! Dust your old bike off! Consolidate your errands into one trip! Remember the old saying, “Is this trip really necessary?” Ask yourself that before you hop into your car.
Do you have any good gas-saving tips?
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I wrecked my car a few years ago, and have not regretted getting a new one even once. I have been perfectly fine with public transportation ever since, and can always rent a car if needed for special trips.
When I’m not driving a car (or complaining about it) I ride my Vespa. The great gas mileage and lane sharing make it worth riding even in the rain.
happily car-free since 1989!
and for you bike-riders, please remember not to ride them on the sidewalks… it’s ILLEGAL folks, as well as dangerous, obnoxious and dumb.
thanks!
I saw the darnedest thing on Sunday, April 2. The ARCO @ Castro & Market, which is usually the cheapest gas in the city, had the highest prices I’d ever seen. Premium was 6.11 a gallon! Prices were back to “normal” the next day.
Even done here in the Peninsula is INSANE!!!
Public Trans is lookin good everyday at the rate gas is guzzlin higher these daze….
I love my car. I love driving my car. I don’t love parking my car. But I ain’t getting rid of it yet. I certainly, however, drive it much less than I would were I living in any other California city.
That said - I question the true public trans savings in SF these days. For instance, do cost comparisons include the cost of my institutionalization after I finally lose it on MUNI? Or when I lose it pondering why, exactly, N trains are becoming fewer and farther between during peak commute hours - and the ones that do come are - for sh*t sake - only one-car trains?
Yes, it’s nice to be able to multi task - but lately, the crush of people means I’m no longer free to flip through a magazine or book. At best, I can clutch my iPod in one hand and the handrail in the other and hope I don’t get smushed by massive influx of angry bodies at Carl & Cole.
Car or Muni - it’s damned if you do and damned if you, uh, do the other.
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